Bill · S. 678· Senate(119-S-678)
LIVE Beneficiaries Act
- Introduced
- 2/20/2025
- Last activity
- 2/20/2025 — Read twice and referred to the Committee on Finance.
- Sponsored by
- Rick Scott
- Cosponsors
- None
- Introduced
- In Committee
What this bill would do
The ``LIVE Beneficiaries Act'' aims to amend title XIX of the Social Security Act. This bill requires States and the District of Columbia to implement specific eligibility verification procedures. Starting January 1, 2027, States must conduct quarterly screenings using the Death Master File. These screenings are intended to verify if individuals enrolled in medical assistance are deceased. If a death is confirmed, the State must disenroll the individual and stop payments. The bill also provides a process for reinstating coverage if a person is misidentified as deceased.
Yes
Does this reduce what the federal government spends?+3
The bill reduces government spending by requiring states to disenroll deceased individuals and stop medical assistance payments.
Does this make what the government does easier for the public to see?+1
The bill implements a more rigorous process for verifying the status of medical assistance enrollees.
The opposite· 3 of 5
Would people over 65 be better off under this?-2
The bill creates a risk of erroneous disenrollment for seniors through mandatory death record matching.
Would households on low incomes be better off under this?-2
The bill risks cutting off medical assistance to low-income households due to data errors.
Does this put more money into Medicaid, the health coverage for people on low incomes?-2
The bill may reduce Medicaid spending by mandating the discontinuation of payments for individuals identified as deceased.
Who it would affect, and how
Potential Positive Impacts for People
- Error Correction: If a State mistakenly identifies a person as deceased based on the Death Master File, the State must immediately reenroll them, with coverage being retroactive to the date of disenrollment (Section 2, subsection (uu)(1)(C)).
Potential Negative Impacts for People
-
Loss of Benefits: States are required to disenroll individuals and discontinue payments for medical assistance if the Death Master File indicates the individual is deceased (Section 2, subsection (uu)(1)(B)).
-
Mandatory Disenrollment: The bill requires States to treat information from the Death Master File as factual confirmation of death for the purpose of disenrollment (Section 2, subsection (uu)(1)(B)(i)).
Groups and Interests Ranking
Every group the model scored this bill for, from -10 to +10. Hover a score for the reason it gave.
- Demographic And Interest Groups
- Good For Low Income Households-2Good For Seniors-2
- Economy And Finance
- Reduces Government Spending+3
- Healthcare
- Increases Medicaid Funding-2
- Governance And Ideology
- Improves Government Transparency+1Increase States Rights-2
- Social Issues And Justice
- Improves Poverty Reduction-1
- 2/20/2025
- Read twice and referred to the Committee on Finance.
- Introduced in Senate
4 bills Congress.gov lists as related to this one — companions in the other chamber, earlier versions, and bills this one absorbed or was folded into.